PAC split, report may face vote
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament on Wednesday virtually split on the 2G spectrum allocation issue on the political lines with the Congress and DMK members coming out openly against PAC chairman Murli Manohar Joshi and made serious allegations about his style of functioning and intention.
The political war which broke out in the evening could be fought in the PAC meeting called here on Thursday to discuss the report on 2G spectrum scam. The report could be put to vote. The Congress-DMK combine is confident of proving majority in the meeting with the help of Samajwadi Party and BSP members.
The PAC has 22 members. But its current strength is 21. This is because the vacancy occurred by the induction of Mr Ashwani Kumar in the Union Cabinet has not been filled.
The Congress (seven members) and the DMK (two) members have so far taken a strong position on the functioning and conducting of the meetings, inside and outside the PAC. But if the SP and BSP members join the Congress-DMK combine then their number goes up to 11. In fact, the SP, BSP have been backing the government from outside.
Parliamentary sources said, the chairman will have a casting vote.
The BJP (four), AIADMK ((two) and the Janata Dal(U), BSP, Samajwadi Party, Biju Janata Dal, the CPI(M), the Shiv Sena have not taken any stand on the issues raised by the Congress-DMK combine publicly. The Congress-DMK members had earlier strongly objected to some of the decisions taken by the chairman in consultations with other members, in at least last meetings of the PAC.
The Congress-DMK members are not in a mood to give their dissenting note to a PAC report.
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